Friendship Over

"We need to talk, Christine!"

An extremely upset Michelle aggressively pulled me out of the table and shoved my rear end to the floor. Her eyes narrowed, Michelle started slapping me endlessly; the pent-up feeling of anger and betrayal etched all over her face.

Meanwhile, Jenny's demeanor suddenly changed. In an instant, she went from an apologetic young girl to a devilish villain.

Jenny stood up, clapped and laughed maniacally. She enjoyed every minute of my suffering.

It was clear the meeting was a setup all along. Jenny deceived me.

"What the hell are you doing with Jenny?" Michelle angrily yelled. "And why did you leave the unit without our knowledge?"

"I'm sorry Michelle," my voice cracked with unbearable pain and distress. "I didn't mean to secretly walk out on you. Jenny only went here for some important business."

"It's apparent you didn't receive the memo," Michelle shot back. "Jenny was among the most hated bullies in our class. I don't understand why you have to deal with her again."

"But Jenny's changed, Michelle," I reasoned out. "She just apologized earlier and vowed to be a different person."

"You don't get it," Michelle questioned. "Look at Jenny. She had just faked sympathy for you. She never changed at all."

At that moment, Jenny started walking towards me and sarcastically clapped along.

"Bravo!!" she uttered with a narrow-eyed stare. "Great acting Christine. I didn't know you can be this dramatic. And Michelle's right. I'm still the same old bully you've loathed for years."

"You screwed me, Jenny," I angrily shouted back. "What the hell?"

"Christine, your heart is as soft as jelly," Jenny replied with a smirk. "It's obvious you are still the little kid I always love to pick on. What a cruel shame."

Shortly after Jenny walked out of the mall but not before pouring out the remainder of the pasta onto me.

"See you, jerk!" she menacingly concluded.

As Jenny disappeared from sight, Michelle stood up and stared glaringly at me. A negative feeling of insecurity started sinking in.

"Christine, I can't believe you dealt with the devil," Michelle scolded me in anger. "What kind of a friend are you?"

Michelle turned her back and started pacing herself. Deep inside my heart came both pain and loneliness; the cracks that slowly formed inside were threatening our friendship.

"Christine, it's time to figure yourself out," Michelle cried as she slowly stormed off. "Don't talk to me, Kyla or any of your other friends. Because as of this moment, our friendship is over!!"

As Michelle and Kyla left the mall, I bowed my head down and sobbed incessantly. For the first time ever, a feeling of terrible emptiness and agony surrounded me.

Never before had I felt this lonely and helpless in my entire life. Suddenly I became a stranger, a foreigner and an alien trying to grasp the culture of a different country.

Day soon turned to night. Street lights began illuminating the roads and more strangers passed through the mall.

And here I was still wandering and pondering my next move. Unfortunately there was little money left inside me and my stomach grumbled loudly.

Having spent the entire day at the mall, all the energy and air must have been expended out of me. Within minutes, my eyes became blurry and I walked sluggishly.

Moments later, I fainted from exhaustion and weakness. The feeling inside me was all but gone.

Upon waking up hours later, I found myself lying inside a hospital bed. A familiar face started walking towards me.

"Carson?" I uttered. "What are you doing here? And why am I inside the hospital?"

"It's a long story Christine," Carson replied.

Not long after, his parents arrived. At that point Carson decided to spill the beans on last night's incident.

He recalled the unfortunate moment when I fell unconscious on the concrete pavement. At the time, Carson did not recognize the identity of the victim.

Upon turning my head upwards, he realized it was me who collapsed at the mall. Accompanied by his parents, Carson rushed me to the hospital and remained at my side.

"You're a very lucky lady Christine," Carson concluded his story. "If not for me, you would have been dead by now."

Just then, however, my eyes began leaking tears.

"Carson, Michelle and I are no longer in speaking terms," I tearfully revealed to him.

"What?" Carson reacted harshly upon hearing my admission. "Tell me what happened."

And so I truthfully explained to Carson the whole story. Upon revealing the moment Michelle walked out on me, I choked up in tears.

"Christine, this is so painful," Carson responded. "No wonder you were in so much suffering."

"Michelle was my most beloved friend in class for years," I tearfully reflected. "And to stab her like that in the back was something I bitterly regret."

"Perhaps it's best that you and Michelle should not speak to each other," Carson suggested. "Leave her alone and find other people to communicate with you."

Slowly I accepted Carson's advice like a true lady. Soon after, he and his parents embraced me heartily.

Returning to school the following morning, I walked to the chapel and offered an intimate prayer to God.

"Lord, it was my fault to betray a loyal friend like Michelle. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but to see me deal with the devil was both unacceptable and humiliating."

A kind stranger soon walked in and graciously offered a handkerchief which I accepted. After gently wiping some tears, the heartfelt prayer resumed.

"Forgive me Lord for my sins. My heart is empty and out of gas. Your kind words deserve to be filled into me. Please help myself out of this conundrum."

While walking nervously down the hallway, I looked anxiously at Michelle for a brief moment only to see her head turned away. Even Kyla refused to look at me for a single second.

It was like the first day of college all over again. I may be a fifth-year student but it truly felt like a freshman in an unfamiliar environment.